The Atlanta Falcons plan to retain quarterback Kirk Cousins, a decision that has not pleased fans. At the end of the 2024 season, the Falcons shifted to rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
As the offseason progressed, it became apparent that Penix would likely be the Falcons' signal-caller moving forward. Given that Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the club last offseason, it was thought that he would either be cut or traded to make way for Penix to take the helm.
According to the JPA Football account on X, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot stated the team plans to pay out the bonus due to Cousins and keep him on the team.
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This sparked some pretty astounded reactions from fans, who definitely didn't seem too fond of the idea.
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This sparked some pretty astounded reactions from fans, who definitely didn't seem too fond of the idea.
"I'm genuinely surprised Terry still has a job. He should've been fired once the Falcons missed the playoffs," one fan said.
"Way to waste money on a backup," another fan said.
"The Failcunts have no choice. He has a no-trade clause and if he's on their bottom feeding roster on March 17th, he'll get a $10M roster bonus. Who wouldn't stick around for less then a month on a team that benches them just to "earn" 10 million dollars?" a fan wrote.
"Of course that's the current plan. Until no one offers draft compensation for him and they cut him to free up cap space," another fan wrote.
Kirk Cousins and his 2024 run with the Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason to serve as the team's starting quarterback. He started 14 games, leading Atlanta to an 8-8 record. Cousins passed for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, leading the NFL in interceptions. He also fumbled the ball 13 times, another league-high.
In Week 16, Michael Penix Jr. took over the starting role from Cousins and maintained that role until the end of the season. Penix only managed to win one of the three games he started. During that time, he threw for 775 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Although Atlanta didn't perform much better with Penix at the helm, it's believed the franchise intends to move forward with the 24-year-old as their starting signal caller.
It will be interesting to see how Atlanta moves forward with their current quarterback situation prior to the 2025 season kicking off.
